embryo screening is banned in italy, austria, and switzerland. ireland and finland have yet to legislate. 11 european countries, now including germany, place some restrictions on the testing, while belgium has predictably liberal laws governing the issue. at the center for reproductive genetics in brussels, the professor is one of the leading screening experts. about 100 german couples visit him every year. they'll suffer from a genetic defect and their children might be severely disabled at birth. >> it is most of the time on the genetic diseases one gene. people don't think that you have all these different issues, blue eyes, this is imagination, not reality. we're talking about severely sick children. >> but critics worry about how things may develop in the future. will couples want to select embryos with desirable characteristics, so-called designer babies? at the moment, european countries agreed that screening should only be used. suffering. medical complications can occur, too. >> most of these patients have a history of the handicapped, a